


alone at the edge of the universe, humming a tune

by rebelkato



Category: Dream SMP (Video Blogging RPF)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dadza, Family Dynamic, Found Family, Gen, Mention Of Dream, Ranboo Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), uhh voices in their heads gang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:07:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28801071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelkato/pseuds/rebelkato
Summary: Dreams are often thought of as an escape from reality.For Ranboo, this isn't true.
Relationships: Ranboo & Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 382





	alone at the edge of the universe, humming a tune

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I'm a sucker for found family and also love Ranboo so this was bound to happen. 
> 
> The title is from the song Dream Sweet in Sea Major by Miracle Musical (very good song, fits with this fic a little bit too much)

Dreams are often referred to as an escape, this bright place your brain gives you to hide away from a long day of reality. Some people’s dreams revealed feelings they didn’t even know they had. Other people predicted the future in their dreams, while others don’t dream at all, that they remember, at least. 

For Ranboo, none of that was true. As far back as he could remember (which, admittedly, wasn’t very far), he had had the same dream. Tonight was no exception.

He was laying on a beach, flat on his back, looking up at a star-less sky. There had never been stars here, as far as he knew. Just a moon, always full, always in the same place. 

He saw it as he sat up, dusting sand off his arms and shaking his head to get it out of his hair. His crown was resting on the ground beside him, half-buried in the beach. Where it always was. He pulled it out and brushed it off, placing it on his head before standing. 

Nothing ever happened here. 

The beach stretched on forever, waves lapping at the sand, no buildings or people. Just the moon, the water, and him. 

Occasionally, it felt as if someone was watching him, following him in the corner of his vision where he could never quite see them. Those were the nights Ranboo woke up in a cold sweat, chills creeping up his back for the rest of the day. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be tonight. 

He hummed lightly as he brushed off his legs, the tune something he vaguely recognized but didn’t know the words to. It was slightly sad, melancholy. He didn’t even remember where he’d heard it. 

There wasn’t much he could do here other than just wandering the sand. It got fairly boring, but it was better than sitting still and letting his muscles cramp up. 

He had never gone in the water. And he knew that he never wanted to. 

With a sigh, he tucked his hands in his pockets and turned on his heel to set off down the beach. There was no telling how long he’d be here, but he didn’t want to stay in this one spot the whole time. 

He took a step, and darkness fell over everything.  _ What in the world?  _

He halted in his tracks, glancing around. It took him a moment to find the source of the problem, to notice the difference. But when he did, his heart dropped. 

The moon was gone. 

The sky was completely empty, casting Ranboo and everything around him in shadow. Something was very, very wrong. The waves were still moving, snatching sand from the beach in a steady rhythm. It was incredibly unsettling to hear the sounds of the ocean when the thing that moved it was gone. 

He couldn’t do anything except stare at the spot where the moon had been. Watch and hope that it would come back, that the dream would return to normal and he could keep walking. He didn’t like this, didn’t like the change and the pit that dread left in his stomach. 

After a moment, light did begin to return to the sky, but Ranboo immediately wished it hadn’t. It wasn’t the moon in the sky, but a familiar white mask painted in a wicked grin. With it came voices, piling over each other until it was just noise, to the point where Ranboo’s head was pounding with pressure, horrible pain that he couldn’t run from. His hands pressed against his head, a scream escaping from his mouth that he could barely hear. 

He realized the voices were his friends, screaming over each other, calling him a traitor, telling him they hated him. He tried his best to block them out. No, no, he’s not a traitor, he didn’t do anything,  _ no. _

“Stop,  _ please!”  _ He cried, and his throat burned with the effort to hear himself over the cacophony that surrounded him, begging someone, anyone to make it  _ stop.  _ He fell to his knees, vaguely aware of his crown falling off and hitting the sand. 

_ Traitor, failure, monster,  _ over and over in his mind, so  _ unbearably  _ loud. He just wanted them to stop, he already knew these things, he didn’t need them screamed at him while that mask looked down and just watched him suffer-

Then, with no warning, silence. He looked up, registering the tears streaming down his face and the raw feeling of his strained vocal chords. 

_ Ranboo, _ something whispered, grabbing his attention. He looked around and realized he was collapsed by the water, the waves brushing the ground just inches from his knees. It seemed to call to him.  _ Ranboo, Ranboo,  _ it hummed, tugging at him.  _ Do it Ranboo, you know you want to. _

He reached a hand out, slowly, ignoring how it trembled as his fingertips hovered just above the surface of the waves. He’d never noticed it before, but the land seemed to drop off right after the beach ended, as if there was a massive trench just a foot or so from where he sat. What was the worst that could happen? He couldn’t even remember why he was so scared of the ocean to begin with. 

As he decided, went to dip his hand under the waves, another voice rang out. It wasn’t as harsh as the others. It was kinder, more concerned. 

“Ranboo, wake up. Come on, kid.” He was inclined to listen, but it was nowhere near as tempting as the wind-whispers the brushed by every so often. To his still slightly numb brain, what that voice wanted was the most important thing. He scrapped all judgment and pushed his hand into the ocean. 

Instantly, he regretted it. Cold, clammy fingers wrapped around his wrist and pulled him further, further, every inch of skin that came in contact with the water starting to sear with pain. He tried to pull away, but he wasn’t strong enough. More hands grasped at him, grabbing anything they could and pulling until he tipped forward off the sand and fully submerged in the water, kicking and screaming. 

He wished he had listened to the other voice because this hurt more than anything he’d ever felt, it  _ burned.  _ But the surface only got further away as he was dragged down, further down than he’d ever wanted to go. 

The voices started again and they were louder than before, almost victorious, but he couldn’t cover his ears, couldn’t wrench his arms from the spectral hands that held him. He knew that he couldn’t breathe water and his lungs burned because of it, and he had to bite back screams of panic. 

Then, the voices hushed slightly, seemingly sensing something else. 

“Ranboo, come on bud, wake up. It’s just a dream.” There it was again, that voice that radiated safety and comfort. The voices seemed angry about it, screaming louder to drown it out. But Ranboo knew that whoever was speaking was right, this was just a dream. He had to reach them. He began to struggle more, because he had hope now, and he  _ pulled,  _ strained against the hands that pulled him into the depths. He had to reach the surface, leave the water that hurt him so badly, shut down the voices that threatened to pull his head apart. 

* * *

Ranboo jerked awake, gasping like he really had been drowning, pulling air into his starved lungs. He sat up, looking around wildly. He wasn’t quite sure where he was, or who the pink-haired figure in the corner across from his thrown together bed was. But it must be safe, because he had fallen asleep here, and Enderchest was curled up by his feet. He gasped, lungs still slightly burning, his arms pulsing like someone really had gripped his arms too hard. Maybe he had been.

“Hey, breathe, kid. You’re alright, it was just a dream.” Someone soothed from beside him, their voice calm and parental, almost. Ranboo recognized it. It was the voice from his dream. He turned and saw a man sitting in a wooden chair beside the makeshift bed, seemingly having pulled it up when Ranboo started yelling or something. His eyes were still partly cloudy from sleep, his blond hair slightly ruffled. Ranboo noticed what looked like wings sticking up from behind his shoulders. 

He bore a kind smile, despite having just woken up, and looked genuinely concerned for the person in front of him. Ranboo tried to follow his instructions, but he just couldn’t catch his breath, his whole body trembling.

Without really considering his actions, Ranboo hugged him, desperately seeking any comfort he could. He barely remembered who this man was, but he was obviously trying to help him and his presence was comforting. 

He froze for a second, seemingly surprised at Ranboo’s sudden contact, his arms hovering slightly above Ranboo’s back. But, he returned the embrace, wrapping both of his arms around Ranboo and enveloping him in warmth, safety. 

Ranboo tried and failed, again, to catch his breath, but all he could manage was choked sobs that he could barely control. He hated this vulnerability, this weakness, but it also felt nice to have someone there when things became too much. 

“Phil?” The person in the corner spoke, quiet and sounding slightly awkward. Phil. Ranboo remembered suddenly. This is Phil, that was Techno. They brought him here after he left L’Manburg, gave him a safe place to stay. 

“It’s alright, Tech.” Phil muttered. “Put some water on and heat up some food, would ya, mate?” Though Ranboo couldn’t see it, Techno must have agreed, because he started moving around the room. 

Remembering where he was calmed him down a little, making it so his breath was less choked and just slow, unsteady. He was still shaking, though, his heart pounding and air getting caught in his throat every so often. Phil tightened his grip and slowly rocked them back and forth, hearing Ranboo still struggling. It helped, this feeling of security, knowing that nothing was going to hurt him. 

And then Phil started humming, a simple tune that rumbled through his chest as he rubbed small circles on Ranboo’s back. 

Slowly but surely, the world came back into focus. The voices faded from his memory, and he stopped seeing that beach, flashes of the horrible mask vanishing from his mind. He could smell warm food and hear pots clanking together lightly. Enderchest was rubbing against his knee and then he fully registered the humming. The  _ song. _

Phil was humming the same song Ranboo had on that beach. He seemed to notice that Ranboo had calmed down, his breathing evening out, and loosened his arms, allowing Ranboo to sit up. 

  
  


“You alright, son?” Phil asked, a gentle smile on his face. Ranboo nodded, crossing his legs and shifting slightly. 

“Yeah...yeah, I’m alright. T-Thank you.” He paused, letting Enderchest crawl into his lap and rub against his still slightly shaky hands. Phil nodded, leaning back in his chair. 

“Alright. If you want to talk about it, go ahead. We’ll listen.” There was a chuckle from behind Phil, presumably from Techno. 

“We’ve both had our fair share of dreams like that.” He came around from behind the chair, grinning, a ceramic mug in each hand. He offered one to Ranboo. “Here. Drink this, it’ll make you feel better.” Ranboo took it, marveling at how warm the glass was. It smelled sweet, steam rising from the dark liquid inside. He cradled it in both his hands, watching as Techno handed the other mug to Phil before walking away. 

There were a few moments of silence, Phil holding his cup up to his mouth and blowing softly on the contents of it.

“Where did that song come from?” Ranboo blurted, hating the quiet that had settled over the room. Phil glanced up, looking slightly confused. “The one you were using to calm me down, I guess. I recognized it.” Phil smiled again, giving Ranboo an understanding nod. 

“I suppose you would. Will wrote it. It was the anthem of his country.” Ranboo remembered, suddenly, hearing the tune echo through a ruined city as he stumbled away from it. 

“O-of course. I can’t believe I forgot that.” Phil shrugged.

“We all forget things from time to time.”

“Yeah.” Ranboo looked down at the cup again, watching its contents swirl as he shifted his hands, debating. Could he trust them enough to ask them this? They both seemed nice enough. Phil was understanding and kind, and while Techno  _ looked  _ intimidating, he certainly didn’t seem very violent towards him. He listened to Techno’s boots thudding on wooden floors as he thought, coming to a conclusion with a sigh. He was going to take his chances. 

“Can I ask you something?” He questioned, glancing up again. Phil, who looked as if he was about to get up, froze as Ranboo spoke. Techno looked up from latching a warm blue cape around his shoulders, watching them both carefully as Phil nodded, relaxing back into the chair. 

“Of course, mate. What’s up?” 

“I- this is going to sound really weird and probably make me sound crazy, but I promise I’m not-” He stammered, suddenly extremely nervous. He stopped, cleared his throat, started again. “Umm, is it normal to hear voices? In my head?” Phil and Techno’s faces fell, Techno’s shoulders suddenly tense. Oh God, they thought he was crazy, just like everyone else, they weren’t going to trust him-

“Wait, no, I’m sorry, don’t hate me, I shouldn’t have said anything-”

“Kid, hold on.” Phil cut in, reaching out and placing a steady hand on Ranboo’s shoulder. “It’s okay, you’re okay. We don’t hate you.” Phil glanced at Techno, whose eyes were still slightly wide. “We have experience with the voices as well. I hear them occasionally, but Techno hears them all the time.” He withdrew his hand from Ranboo’s shoulder as surprise dawned on Ranboo’s face. 

“Really?” 

Techno nodded, a half-hearted chuckle escaping his mouth. “Yeah. They get pretty annoyin’ sometimes, but there’s not much I can do.” Ranboo rather suddenly felt much less alone than he had a few minutes ago. 

“What do they tell you?” He asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Phil chuckled as a wicked grin split Techno’s face.

“Don’t scare the kid, Techno.” Phil warned, but it was good-natured, humor bouncing in the tone. 

“Fine, fine.” Techno waved a hand, but the smile didn’t fade. Ranboo was slightly confused, and it must have shown on his face, because Techno chuckled again. 

“Blood for the Blood God, they say. Tellin’ me to go hurt the people that’ve hurt me, hurt Phil. But you have nothing to worry about.” He clarified, noticing as Ranboo’s shoulders tensed. “They seem to like you, considerin’ they keep tellin’ me to protect you and all.” 

Ranboo nodded, still slightly uneasy. “Mine don’t say anything like that.” The words were quiet, mostly meant for himself, but Phil heard anyway.

“What do they tell you, Ranboo?” He prodded, giving Ranboo the chance to back out if he didn’t want to tell him. He decided that he did.

“I-It’s just one voice, normally. It mostly sounds like Dream. Telling me that I’m a traitor, saying that  _ I’m  _ the one that blew up the community house. Though, last night, it was a bunch of people, my friends, telling me they hated me. Saying I was useless, they didn’t trust me, they  _ never  _ had-” He stopped, realizing that he was starting to shake again. Phil sighed, offering another warm smile. 

“Something you learn pretty quickly about the voices is that they’re not always right. They’re actually wrong pretty often for Tech and I.” Phil paused as Techno scoffed, picking up a sword and muttering something along the lines of “tell me about it.” Phil continued, biting back a chuckle at Techno’s words. “Try to ignore them. You’re safe here, kid. You can write things down, or we’ll tell you when you forget things. Not them.” 

Ranboo just looked at him for a moment. He’d heard similar things before, but this time, it seemed truly genuine. He nodded, a grin blooming on his face, one that Phil returned. “Thank you.” 

“Of course.” Phil stood, setting his empty cup on a table. “Drink up. I’ll look around for an extra cape or something and we’ll show you around.” Ranboo lifted the cup to his mouth and took a sip, marveling at the rich, warm chocolate that coated his tastebuds. 

And, as Phil moved around the room, joking with Techno and pulling warm blue fabric from a cupboard, Ranboo got a strange sense of comfort, a warm feeling that flooded his chest like the hot cocoa had. He was glad he ended up here, though he wasn’t quite sure. 

It felt safe. Eventually, it could feel like home. 

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was something I had a ton of fun writing, so I hope you enjoyed it! Comments and kudos are appreciated <3
> 
> Follow me on Twitter! @watchmefail_ha


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